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Commission adopts 2045 Future Land Use Map with multiple Commission-defined options; vote on Thornton option passes 7–2
Summary
The Athens-Clarke County Commission adopted the 2045 Future Development Map April 7 and approved several Commission-defined options; one option offered by Commissioner Thornton passed on a 7–2 roll call with Commissioners Wright and Hamby dissenting.
The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted April 7 to adopt the 2045 Future Development (Future Land Use) Map as part of the Comprehensive Plan update and approved several Commission-defined options attached to the ordinance.
Commissioner Link moved an initial Commission-defined option; subsequent motions refined which Commission-defined options would be adopted. A separate motion by Commissioner Thornton to approve her Commission-defined option passed by roll call 7–2 (YES: Commissioners Davenport, Link, Taylor, Fisher, Johnson, Myers, Thornton; NO: Commissioners Wright and Hamby). Commissioner Taylor later moved and the Commission approved her Commission-defined option unanimously.
The public comment period leading into the vote included supporters and opponents. Alex Sams, chair of the Future Land Use Steering Committee, told the Commission he supported the plan; other residents urged prioritizing affordable housing, overlay districts, and neighborhood protections. Several speakers — including Elle Lewis, Dr. Tawana Smith-Mattox and others — raised concerns about data-center siting, environmental impacts and neighborhood changes. The Commission incorporated multiple adjustments and compatibility-matrix changes into Title 9 of the Code as part of the ordinance language.
The ordinance amends Section 9-3-3 and related Code sections to replace the previous official map with the version dated April 7, 2026, and updates the compatibility matrix (Table 9.4) by reference to Exhibit A. The Commission’s action was recorded as adoption of an ordinance amending the Code with respect to the Future Development Map and associated procedures. The ordinance language states the map is incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan and Title 9 by reference and becomes the Official Future Development Map upon certification by the Mayor and Clerk of Commission.
The Commission voted on related compatibility-matrix amendments and directed staff to make exhibit attachments and cross-references available for public inspection in the Planning Department and the Clerk’s office. Commissioner Hamby left the meeting at 8:32 p.m.; subsequent votes were recorded after that departure.
